The United States has largely removed itself from actively backing Ukraine’s war efforts against Russia, though America still maintains a lot of pressure on the Putin-regime via sanctions and other techniques. But Europe is now doing most of the funding for Ukraine’s efforts, and has been for a little more than a year now. The question is, can Europe, a wealthy continent, summon the will to protect Ukraine from Russia by itself, or will it fail without continued support from the United States? The Economist explains, time is short for Europe to make a difference, writing:

Time is short. Although Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions”, as Mr Zelensky calls its drone and missile strikes inside Russian territory, have lifted spirits, no one knows how long that will last. Russia is escalating its attacks on Kyiv and other cities, and further attacks on power and water infrastructure could make next winter even harder than the last. For now European arms and money keep Ukraine in the game. Last week Mr Zelensky struck a deal with Sweden for fighter jets. But Europe is not yet able to provide the anti-ballistic missiles needed to protect Ukraine’s cities. Last week Mr Zelensky also sent a letter to Donald Trump appealing for Patriot interceptors.

Meanwhile Europe’s own clock is ticking. Next year brings elections in most of its bigger countries, starting with France in April. Foreign-policy analysts worry that if the populist-right National Rally secures the presidency it would try to pull the plug on some of Europe’s commitments, including the next round of fundraising. It would certainly be hostile to Ukraine’s EU bid. “The French farmers have not woken up to this yet,” says Fabrice Pothier, a former NATO official now at Rasmussen Global, a consultancy. “We have not started the hard part.”

Intensifying discussions over aid, diplomacy and accession show that Europe is taking responsibility for the war on its eastern flank. But much of its plan still rests on hope: that Ukrainian resolve will not be broken, that Mr Trump can be persuaded to turn against Russia or that Mr Putin can be forced to negotiate. “This is clearly Europe’s war now,” says Mr Pothier. “The question is whether it can be Europe’s peace.”

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